Page 20 of The Green Card Baby Deal

The doctor cut in. “If you don’t mind my asking. Are you not the one who gave her that ring? Is this an unwanted pregnancy?”

Luis slumped in his chair, devastated for some reason. “No, she is my fiancée, as of a few days ago. We just… hadn’t meant to move this quickly.”

The doctor smiled reassuringly. “These things happen all the time. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and you got lucky. You got exactly what you wanted, just a little sooner than you expected. This might be a little overwhelming right now, but take some time to let it sink in, and I think you’ll find yourself looking forward to your new family in no time. At the very least, you’ll save a little money on my services.”

Luis groaned. “Money was not the issue.”

The doctor laughed. “Oh, that’s right! I almost forgot who you were. You look so worried, Mr. Morales, but don’t be. Congratulations are in order!” She stood and helped Clara to her feet. “Congratulations to you, too! For the baby and the wedding. May everything go according to plan from here on out.”

For some reason, that sounded more like a curse than a blessing. Luis shook the doctor’s hand and thanked her. Then he walked back to his car with Clara in silence, racking his brain to figure out what exactly was troubling him. It shouldn’t have been anything, really. This was what they had planned. It was just that the baby was supposed to come after Luis had gotten what he wanted.

“Aha!” he exclaimed at last. “I think I get it now.” His enthusiasm startled Clara, so he reached over to take her hand reassuringly. “Sorry for that,” he said.

“Just what is it you suddenly get?”

“That news had me shaking in my boots, and I had no idea why. But it’s probably just because you’ve got what you want now. Maybe you won’t want to marry me after all. You certainly don’t have to if you don’t want to. Our agreement was that I would pay for your fertility treatments. Now you don’t need them, so maybe you don’t need me.”

She leaned in and looked at him closely, as though she was trying to read his mind. He noticed, once again, just how bright blue her eyes were and found himself unable to look away. “A deal’s a deal,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how you gave me a baby. You did it. Even if it was just your magical virility.” She laughed, but he couldn’t join her. The relief he felt when she spoke those words was shocking to him. Once again, it wasn’t that he was worried about losing the deal he made with her. He was worried about losing her, full stop.

“You will still benefit,” he said to convince himself just as much as he wanted to convince her. “You’ll still never have to worry about money or childcare again. Your family will still be provided for. Even your sister’s children.”

Clara’s eyes suddenly softened, and Luis was sure she could see the worry in his expression. “It’ll be okay. You and I are going to get married, and it’ll be the happiest of marriages as far as anyone in the public knows. I know you don’t know me very well, but if you did, you’d know I always keep my word. Always.”

Luis took a deep breath and sat back. “I’d say let’s drink to that, but you probably shouldn’t have any.” He winked at her, and pushed down his fears. There was no chance in hell he wanted to tell her what was really troubling him, but it was about time he at least admitted it to himself. He was falling hard for her. And he wanted her to fall just as hard for him.

The way he saw it, he had until the day he walked her down the aisle to win her heart. He was not going to trap her in a loveless marriage, that was for sure. He’d already decided to provide for her, if for no other reason than his gratitude that she’d even be willing to consider such an arrangement with him. And when the time came, he’d offer her a way out without losing the benefits she was looking forward to. Until then, he was going to pull out all the stops to make her want him for a husband — a real husband — just as badly as he wanted her for his real, once-in-a-lifetime, wife.

CHAPTER 11

CLARA

Ever since her travels ended and she found herself moving from one short-term, dead-end job to another, Clara had avoided bringing any date home to meet her family. To her, that made it serious, and she never felt like any of the men she met were more than casual dates. They just didn’t measure up. Even if she liked them enough to take them home, she was never proud enough to introduce them to her family. But Luis was different. Mostly because he was her fiancé now, but also because she really did feel proud to be with him.

Maybe it wasn’t a romantic relationship exactly, but non-romantic marriages had been the norm all over the world for most of human civilization, she reasoned. When her parents finally opened the door, she watched as their eyes drifted from her to the man standing behind her.

“This must be the man!” her mother said, scooping Clara into her arms and squeezing her tight. “Congratulations to you both.” For a moment, Clara panicked that someone might have already told her family she was pregnant, but then she remembered she had just gotten engaged and congratulations would be in order either way. She and Luis had decided not to share the news just yet. She’d heard somewhere it was better to wait until after the first trimester, and especially considering she was an older mother, she thought it wise not to count her chickens before they hatched.

“Thank you,” Luis said from behind her.

Clara’s mother welcomed them both inside and into the living room where her father and sister were already chatting away. Her parents’ living room was comfortable with overstuffed, pink couches and maroon carpet. Having just come from Luis’s penthouse, Clara felt a touch of shame at the underwhelming home she grew up in. Luis didn’t seem to mind it, though.

“It’s wonderful to finally meet you all,” he said. He went around the room, shaking everyone’s hand and exchanging introductions despite the fact that everyone there obviously already knew who he was.

Her father put on his casual-dad voice and said, “So how’s that beer business coming along?” Clara prepared herself for a barrage of beer puns, but to her surprise, none came. It was a straightforward question.

“It’s doing quite well, Mr. Ashford?—”

“Oh, you can call me Dad if you like. After all, you’re going to be part of the family very soon.”

Luis smiled, but Clara could tell he was uncomfortable. She had to wonder why. Was it because he felt like he was lying? Having a husband who was uncomfortable with lies was never a bad thing, she decided. “Thank you… Dad,” Luis said. “We recently had what I consider an advantageous acquisition. It won’t necessarily be profitable right off the bat, but it will aid in changing the culture of my own breweries.”

Clara’s mom took Luis’s coat without ceremony. “Have a seat, Luis. Make yourself at home. We don’t bite here…” She chuckled and added, “much,” which caused Dawn to roll her eyes.

Luis seemed to take it all in stride. “Thank you.” He sat beside Dawn, who gave him a suspicious side-eye.

“What do you mean by ‘change the culture’?” Dawn asked as though she were a detective interrogating a suspect.

“Well…” Luis thought a moment and then nodded to himself. “Since you’re going to be family, I suppose I’ll have to get used to telling you everything.” He laughed nervously. “For a while now, I’ve felt like the brands I’ve built were not quite true to my father’s values. I was advised by people who supposedly knew the business that I should try to emulate the most popular American brands in order to have major success. They were right, but I’m not happy with it. My father had such an appreciation for the craft. He could bring you a flight and tell you every note you could expect to taste as well as that specific beer’s journey from harvest to tap. He cared so much about diversity of flavor and creating a favorite for everyone.”

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